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González L, Díaz L, Pous J, Baginski B, Duran-Corbera A, Scarpa M, Brun-Heath I, Igea A, Martin-Malpartida P, Ruiz L, Pallara C, Esguerra M, Colizzi F, Mayor-Ruiz C, Biondi RM, Soliva R, Macias MJ, Orozco M, Nebreda AR. Characterization of p38α autophosphorylation inhibitors that target the non-canonical activation pathway. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3318. [PMID: 37308482 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39051-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
p38α is a versatile protein kinase that can control numerous processes and plays important roles in the cellular responses to stress. Dysregulation of p38α signaling has been linked to several diseases including inflammation, immune disorders and cancer, suggesting that targeting p38α could be therapeutically beneficial. Over the last two decades, numerous p38α inhibitors have been developed, which showed promising effects in pre-clinical studies but results from clinical trials have been disappointing, fueling the interest in the generation of alternative mechanisms of p38α modulation. Here, we report the in silico identification of compounds that we refer to as non-canonical p38α inhibitors (NC-p38i). By combining biochemical and structural analyses, we show that NC-p38i efficiently inhibit p38α autophosphorylation but weakly affect the activity of the canonical pathway. Our results demonstrate how the structural plasticity of p38α can be leveraged to develop therapeutic opportunities targeting a subset of the functions regulated by this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena González
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucía Díaz
- Nostrum Biodiscovery, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Pous
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Blazej Baginski
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Duran-Corbera
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Margherita Scarpa
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isabelle Brun-Heath
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Igea
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pau Martin-Malpartida
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lidia Ruiz
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Francesco Colizzi
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences ICM-CSIC, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Mayor-Ruiz
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricardo M Biondi
- Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina de Buenos Aires (IBioBA)-CONICET-Partner Institute of the Max Planck Society, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Maria J Macias
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Modesto Orozco
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Angel R Nebreda
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
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Braddock DC, Duran-Corbera A, Nilforoushan M, Yang Z, He T, Santhakumar G, Bahou KA, Rzepa HS, Woscholski R, White AJP. (±)-Polysiphenol and Other Analogues via Symmetrical Intermolecular Dimerizations: A Synthetic, Spectroscopic, Structural, and Computational Study. J Nat Prod 2022; 85:2650-2655. [PMID: 36288514 PMCID: PMC9706781 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We report an improved total synthesis of 4,5-dibromo-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene-2,3,6,7-tetraol, (±)-polysiphenol, via intermolecular McMurray dimerization of 5-bromovanillin and subsequent intramolecular oxidative coupling as the key steps. The synthetic route is applicable to 4,5-dichloro- and 4,5-difluoro-halologues (as well as a 4,5-dialkyl-analogue). Distinctive AA'BB' multiplets in their 1H NMR spectra for the dimethylene bridges of the dibromo and dichloro compounds reveal them to be room-temperature stable atropisomers, while for the difluoro compound they present as a singlet. X-ray crystal structure determinations of their tetramethylated synthetic precursors show atropisomeric twist angles of 48°, 46°, and 32°, respectively, with the former representing the largest yet observed in any 4,5-disubstituted-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene. DFT computational studies reveal an unprecedented two-stage atropisomeric interconversion process involving time-independent asynchronous rotations of the dimethylene bridge and the biaryl axis for halologues containing chlorine or bromine, but a more synchronous rotation for the difluoro analogue.
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Duran-Corbera A, Catena J, Otero-Viñas M, Llebaria A, Rovira X. Photoswitchable Antagonists for a Precise Spatiotemporal Control of β 2-Adrenoceptors. J Med Chem 2020; 63:8458-8470. [PMID: 32686936 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
β2-Adrenoceptors (β2-AR) are prototypical G-protein-coupled receptors and important pharmacological targets with relevant roles in physiological processes and diseases. Herein, we introduce Photoazolol-1-3, a series of photoswitchable azobenzene β2-AR antagonists that can be reversibly controlled with light. These new photochromic ligands are designed following the azologization strategy, with a p-acetamido azobenzene substituting the hydrophobic moiety present in many β2-AR antagonists. Using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor-based assay, a variety of photopharmacological properties are identified. Two of the light-regulated molecules show potent β2-AR antagonism and enable a reversible and dynamic control of cellular receptor activity with light. Their photopharmacological properties are opposite, with Photoazolol-1 being more active in the dark and Photoazolol-2 demonstrating higher antagonism upon illumination. In addition, we provide a molecular rationale for the interaction of the different photoisomers with the receptor. Overall, we present innovative tools and a proof of concept for the precise control of β2-AR by means of light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Duran-Corbera
- MCS, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juanlo Catena
- MCS, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain.,SiMChem, Service of Synthesis of High Added Value Molecules, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Otero-Viñas
- Molecular Photopharmacology Research Group, The Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory (TR2Lab), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Vic, 08500 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amadeu Llebaria
- MCS, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Rovira
- Molecular Photopharmacology Research Group, The Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory (TR2Lab), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Vic, 08500 Barcelona, Spain
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